“The Black Stallion,” “Little Black, A Pony” and “Little Black Goes to the Circus,” the storied horses of Walter Farley’s children’s novels, are the books igniting the imaginations of many Arkansas first- and fourth-graders.

The story of a spirited stallion and a teenage boy who learn to rely on each other to survive, and fun adventures of a little black pony are at the center of a literacy program inspiring children to love to read in The Natural State.